Robert “Bob” E. Selzer, 93, of Safety Harbor, FL, passed away on Monday, April 25, 2016, at the Mease Countryside Hospital. He was born in Newark, NJ, and moved to Pinellas County in 1971 with his wife, Louise.
Bob served his country during World War II in the US Army. His Military Occupational Specialty was a Radar Operator and he was an M-1 Rifle Marksman. He received a Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal, American service Medal and the Asia-Pacific Service Medal. His unit was attached to the Marine Corps 5th Amphibious Division and was involved in the fighting on Iwo Jima. The 5th Marine Division sustained the highest casualty rate of all the Marine Divisions involved in the invasion. Of the twenty members of Bob’s unit, nineteen were wounded or killed.
Following his time in the service, Bob became a Machine Operator for ITT in the aerospace industry. He retired from there after 29 years of service. After moving to St. Petersburg, FL, he went to work for 12 years as a driver for the Pinellas County Highway Department.
In 1971, Bob and his wife, Louise, moved in to the Port Royale Mobile Home Park in St. Petersburg after leaving New Jersey. At one point, Bob was the person that had lived the longest period of time at Port Royale. The choice was easy for them to choose this location to live in due to the many activities and the convenient location. Bob was active in the Home Owners Association, the shuffleboard club and other activities. He did it all, set up tables, washed floors and put everything back where it belonged.
In October 1992, a tornado went through the park with very dark skies and 100 mile per hour winds. Bob and his wife survived with little damage to their home; however, the tornado destroyed most of the homes in the park. Bob pitched in helping others and helping to get the park back into working order.
Bob was a jack of all trades. He was good at carpentry and electrical work. He was a bit of a private person; however, very friendly and popular. He enjoyed Audiovisual Entertainment and watched and recorded a lot of movies. He also like music.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Andrew and Louise Selzer; and his wife, Louise. He is survived by his nephew, Richard Battias of Safety Harbor, FL.
Bob will be interred with his wife at Bay Pines National Cemetery in Bay Pines, FL. A service with Military Honors will be conducted at a date in the near future. Please check back for the date and time.
Bob, was my next door neighbor but more than that he was a very close friend. We would get together and talk about the old days. Never a dull moment with Bob! ☺
I am so grateful that Bob and Louise were neighbors and friends to my parents at Park Royale. I always felt that Bob and Louise were the guardian angles who kept an eye on my parents when my brother, David, and I couldn’t be there. In later years, I enjoyed the stories that Bob would tell about the Park, the storms and his love for Louise. I am glad that Bob is at peace now. Thank you for sharing so much with me.